Dr. Richard J. Ford

Distinguished Senior Lecturer

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Hematopathology

Research Interests:

• Molecular and immunopathology of human lymphoid neoplasms
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas and leukemias
• Biology of human B cell cytokines
• In vitro and in vivo (SCID mouse xenotransplant models) models of neoplastic B lymphoid cellular growth and survival signaling pathways involved in lymphoma and leukemia
• Oncogenes in B cell neoplasia and the development of new molecular targeted therapies for the treatment of human lymphomas
• Molecular imaging, cellular compartmentalization, and proteomics in B cell neoplasia. Developmental therapeutics of B cell lymphomas.

The long range objective of my research is to provide a better understanding of the function of the human B cell system as it relates to the humoral arm of the immune response. We utilize the normal human B lymphocyte system as a model to understand neoplastic counterparts: the B cell lymphomas and leukemias. Experimental studies involve in vitro studies on the role of B cell growth and survival factors in normal and neoplastic B cell ontogeny, and molecular, biochemical, and cytogenetic studies on the neoplastic cell growth processes involved. Other experimental approaches to the study human lymphoid neoplasms involve combining imaging techniques such as flow cytometry, immunoelectron microscopy, fluorescent imaging, and confocal microscopy with molecular biology in dissecting the nature of critical signaling pathways involved in neoplastic B cell growth. Recent studies have shown that some growth and survival factor receptors function not only at the plasma membrane, but also immigrate into the nucleus where these multifunctional proteins participate in transcription and possibly other nuclear functions.

Selected Publications